Suspension arrangement for containers



Nov. 29, 1960 H. L. LORENTZEN ,96

SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENT F OR CONTAINERS Filed July 10, 1956 FIG].

5 FIGZ. 3 4

l \A \l 7 SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENT FOR CONTAINERS Hans Ludvig Lorentzen,Oslo, Norway Filed July 10, 1956, Ser. No. 596,929

Claims priority, application Norway July 19, 1955 2 Claims. (Cl. 248-1)The present invention relates to the suspension of containers having anessentially circular cross-section and the object of the invention is toprovide an arrangement which is not only able to sustain, to a greatextent, temperature ditferences between the container and itsfoundation, but which also insures the suspension of the container inthe event of relative movements between the container and itsfoundation.

In accordance with the invention, a suspension arrangement comprises aring or tube formed lever which is so mounted as to have its axis inalignment with the center of the cross-sectional area of the containerand which is connected to the container and the foundation, respectivelyin spaced positions along the length of the lever. The desiredelasticity will thereby be obtained and, at the same time, the path ofheat transfer between the foundation and container is of such thermalresistance that a desirable temperature gradient is obtained.

In the case of the suspension of containers which are of an essentiallyspherical shape, the lever is suitably so mounted that the connectionsbetween the same and the container and the foundation, respectively, lieto either side of an equatorial plane through the sphere, e.g. they aresymmetrical to this plane, whereby favorable balance and strains underthe various conditions which may occur are obtained. Thus, for examples,on board a ship, the foundation of the suspension will be positioned inone and the same transverse cross-sectional plane of the ship, that is,in a zone wherein distortions caused by bending and twisting areinsignificant.

The structural design of the ring or tube shaped lever which supportsthe container can vary according to the forces it has to transfer andthe temperatures present. Thus, it is possible to form the lever as asimple ring or a simple tube with a varying cross-section, or as thesurface of a truncated cone, or composed of several coaxial elementswith mutually different, constant or varying diameters. Further, thelever may also be made with openings in the ring or tube wall, or withreinforcements of the said wall, or it may be made entirely in the formof a framework.

The accompanying drawing illustrates diagrammatically a suspensionstructure according to the invention. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of the container, and

Fig. 2 is a detail view of the suspension arrangement on a larger scale.

In the drawing, 1 indicates the container which can be of spherical orcylindrical shape so as to present in the section shown, at leastapproximately circular contour. The container may be adapted to receiveliquids or gases of any kind, but is particularly intended to containcondensed gases. For the sake of simplicity, no special insulation ofthe container has been shown, as this is immaterial for theunderstanding of the invention in question. The foundation of thecontainer is indicated at 2, and can, for example, be a ships hull.

The container is connected to the foundation 2 by means of a tube shapedlever 3 which is connected at either end to the container 1 at 4 and tothe foundation at 5, respectively. As shown, the connection 4 can bemade by means of a collar 6 and a welding seam 7, while the connection 5can be a hinge connection with a built-in space 8, which can contain aliquid or gas for regulating the temperature of the hinge.

In the embodiment shown, the lever 3 is made in the form of a tube withapproximately the same diameter along the whole of its length. At 9 and10, however, indications are made to show that the end of the tube maybe provided with cuttings 9 and 10 which indicate a tongue and groovearrangement.

The lever may be made of any suitable material, according to theprevailing conditions, but is, in the form shown in the drawing suitablyof the same material as the container 1, or of a material withapproximately the same coefficient of thermal expansion.

What is claimed is:

1. Suspension means for containers having an essentially spherical formcomprising a foundation adapted to support the said container, and acantilever beam on the foundation in the form of a tube length having acentral horizontal axis in alignment with the center of said containerand adapted for encircling the latter, and connection means connectingone end of the beam to the foundation, and other connection meansconnecting the other end of the beam to the container, one of saidconnection means being movable, the connection means being situated toeither side of a vertical equatorial plane of the spherical containerwhich plane is perpendicular to said axis.

2. A means as claimed in claim 1, wherein said founda-.

tion defines a groove and the end of the cantilever beam fixed to thefoundation includes a bead engaging said groove.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,092,165 Kepler Sept. 7, 1937 2,363,992 Reiser Nov. 28, 1944 2,463,880Jones Mar. 8, 1949 2,838,071 Wood June 10, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 594,232Great Britain Nov. 6, 1947

